Printers, such as thermal transfer label printers, are well known in the art for printing labels. In a typical thermal transfer label printer, a label and a thermal transfer printer ribbon are compressed between a print head and a roller and fed together past the print head. The print head produces sufficient heat in the appropriate locations to transfer the ink from the ribbon to the label to print a label.
The labels produced by the printer are then applied to the wires being labeled by hand. Applying a label to a wire by hand has many drawbacks. Namely, attempting to apply labels to wires, especially small diameter wires, is time consuming, is inaccurate in that it is difficult to place the labels in such a way that the labels are square and aligned on the wire, and is inefficient in that it is difficult to properly and evenly secure the entire label to the surface of the wire.
Label application mechanisms are available that automatically apply tape and preprinted labels to cylindrical objects, such as bottles, cans, and the like. These systems typically require the object being labeled to be conveyed past the applicator mechanism in order for the mechanism to apply a preprinted label. A finishing device can then press the label to the object. However, these systems are designed to be used with large diameter cylindrical objects such as cans or bottles and none of these systems can be used or be easily adapted to be used with elongated, flexible objects of small diameter such as wires, wire bundles, and non-cylindrical objects.
Application of a label onto a cylindrical object having a relatively small diameter, such as a wire, presents a host of problems. For example, the label can stick to the label applicator as it is pressed against the object. Moreover, it is difficult to uniformly press a label against the object to avoid bubbles and ensure the label is securely affixed to the object. Therefore, a need exists for a device that can securely and uniformly apply a label to a relatively small diameter object.